NHL Preview 4-21-21

Nashville Predators v. Chicago Blackhawks

Projected Goalies: Juuse Saros v. Malcolm Subban

These two teams met on Monday and it was the Predators who came away with a 5-2 win. The win gave Nashville a 1 point lead over the Stars for the 4th and final playoff spot in the Central Division. Chicago is still technically in the playoff race, sitting only 4 points back of Nashville themselves, but they have struggled with consistency all month. Tonight the Blackhawks will turn to Subban in net over their strong rookie Kevin Lankinen. Subban has a measly 5-5-1 record with a 2.77 GAA and is a far weaker goalie than Saros. This game will be won and lost in the netminder matchup.

The Bet: Predators Moneyline

Prediction: Predators 4-2 Blackhawks

Minnesota Wild v. Arizona Coyotes

Projected Goalies: Cam Talbot v. Darcy Kuemper

These two teams met on Monday as well and it was the Wild who walked away with a 5-2 victory. The win was Minnesota’s 4th in a row as they are starting to heat up as the regular season winds down. Arizona is still currently in that 4th spot in the West Division despite owning a sub .500 record overall. I don’t know if it is my goalie bias or a poor memory but everytime I see Talbot listed as the starter I get nervous about the Wild’s chances. Talbot has actually been very solid this year with a sub 2.50 GAA and a save percentage north of .920. But, everytime I see his name, I think of him in an Oilers jersey allowing bad goal after bad goal. The opposite occurs with Darcy Kuemper who owns slightly worse stats than Talbot on the year but everytime I see his name I think of him carrying the Coyotes to wins like he did a few years back. Any ways, this might be a bad pick in which I am chasing the Coyotes after betting on them on Monday, but I am riding with my guy Kuemper once again.

The Bet: Coyotes Moneyline

Prediction: Wild 2-3 Coyotes

San Jose Sharks v. Vegas Golden Knights

Projected Goalies: Josef Korenar v. Marc-Andre Fleury

These two teams also met on Monday and it was the home team, Vegas, who left the building with the two points in tow. The Golden Knights needed the shootout in the end to secure the 3-2 win which marked their 7th in a row. On the flip side, the Sharks failure to succeed in the skills competition saw their losing streak extend to 6 straight contests. Tonight, San Jose turns to this Josef Korenar in net, and I will be honest, I follow this league and the sport of hockey very closely but I have never heard of this dude before. I can’t imagine he walks into Vegas for his second career start against a team as hot as the Golden Knights and doesn't get pumped.

The Bet: Over 5.5 Total Goals

Prediction: Sharks 2-5 Vegas

Montreal Canadiens v. Edmonton Oilers

Projected Goalies: Jake Allen v. Mike Smith

There is a trend here in this blog and it is rematches of games from Monday night, and the late game on this slate is no different. The Oilers won 4-1 the other night against Montreal to make it two straight victories for the boys from Alberta. The Canadiens are starting to fumble a little as their grip on the 4th spot in the North Division is loosening. Montreal has an 8 point lead on the Canucks but Vancouver has 4 games in hand so theoretically, the two teams are tied at the moment. Montreal received tough news after last game as Carey Price will be out at least a week with a concussion which he suffered during the game against Edmonton. Allen has provided solid numbers, mostly as a backup, this season but I doubt he can do enough to carry Montreal to victory over Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. 

The Bet: Oilers Moneyline

Prediction: Canadiens 2-4 Oilers